Materials Scientists
Materials Scientists earn an average annual salary of $133,759, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. While facing some shifts, the field is adapting to changes in the job market. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Materials Scientists workforce.
Employment Over Time
610 Workforce in 2023
The Materials Scientists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Materials Scientists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$133,759 Average Wage
In 2023, Materials Scientists earned an average of $133,759.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Materials Scientists.
Salary distribution for Materials Scientists.
Employment Growth Projections
0.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
2,332 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 0.5%
2,345 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 1.1%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.1% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Materials Scientists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Materials Scientists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Materials Scientists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Materials Scientists.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: -20.1% growth (Current: $168,878)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Materials Scientists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Materials Scientists.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 550 employees, $135,176 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Materials Scientists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 120 employees, $144,961 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 90 employees, $93,750 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 90 employees, $168,878 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 90 employees, $141,043 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 70 employees, $138,404 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 50 employees, $114,229 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 20 employees, $139,224 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 20 employees, $121,854 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Materials Scientists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Materials Scientists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Materials Scientists in 2023 was 610 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Materials Scientists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Materials Scientists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Materials Scientists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Materials Scientists in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Biology.
Common majors for Materials Scientists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Materials Scientists workers.
Education level distribution for Materials Scientists.
Skills
Materials Scientists need many skills, but most especially Science, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Active Learning.
Required skills for Materials Scientists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Materials Scientists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Materials Scientists include Engineering and Technology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Computers and Electronics.
Knowledge areas required for Materials Scientists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Materials Scientists include Written Comprehension, Written Expression, Inductive Reasoning, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Materials Scientists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Materials Scientists.
Daily Activities
Materials Scientists spend their time on activities such as Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Analyzing Data or Information, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Working with Computers.
Most important work activities for Materials Scientists.
About
Materials Scientists
The average yearly wage for Materials Scientists was $133,759 in 2023.
SOC Code
19-2032 - Materials Scientists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Materials Scientists reports an average salary of $133,759, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 610 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.1%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.